Recognized as a comedic actress and sex symbol, few people seem to acknowledge that Edwige Fenech is also an underrated, European 70’s scream queen. Born in France in December 1948, Edwige won Miss France at age 16 and booked steady gigs as a model shortly there-after. Like many other women in the industry, she refocused her desire to be in front of the camera to actualize her career as an actress. One of her first credited roles was a background appearance in The Woman Is A Stranger (1968), but this was just her start in the world of horror. In between dozens of comedies in Italy, France, Spain and The UK, Ms. Fenech found her first leading role as Marie Chaney in 5 Dolls For An August Moon (1970). Now, gore hounds and thrill seekers had their eyes on her.
Edwige would rule the early 70’s horror scene with leading roles in a handful of titles, most often seen on screen with George Hilton. These roles include playing Jule Wardh in Blade of The Ripper (1971), Jane Harrison in All the Colors of The Dark (1971), Floriana in Your Vice Is A Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972), Jennifer Lansbury in The Case of Bloody Iris (1972) and Magda in Strip Nude For Your Killer (1975). Turning back to comedies and dramas, she returned to the horror once more as Helene Martell in Phantom of Death (1988) before her career started to slow down. Though it seems this calming is due to her interest in working behind-the-scenes and becoming a producer.
So, where is Edwige Fenech now?
She did a number of limited series in the 90’s and early 00’s including “Donna,” “Le Ragioni Del Cuore” and “Donna.” The second project being one she produced. As a producer, she worked on almost 30 titles. She served as a cameo appearance in Hostel 2 (2007) and can most recently be seen as a supporting character in “E Arrivata La Felicita” in 2015.
